1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of analyzing the intermeshing gears of a gear set and, more particularly, to a method of analyzing intermeshing conditions of gears, based on tooth surface data for gears of a gear set and standard dimensional data of the gear set, by the aid of a three dimensional computer-aided-design (CAD) system.
2. Description of Related Art
In a method of analyzing intermeshing conditions of a gear set which includes a pair of gears intermeshing with each other, one of the two gears, which has painted tooth surfaces, is rotated while the two gears are kept intermeshed. Thereafter, an image of the tooth surfaces of the gear to which paint has been applied is taken and processed in order to enhance exfoliation or separation of the paint from the tooth surfaces. Intermeshing of teeth of these gears is analyzed based on the aspects of separation of paint on the images. Such an analysis method of intermeshing conditions of gear sets is known from, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 3-100434.
A widely utilized intermeshing condition analyzing system, which has been placed on the market by Gleason Corporation, an organization located in the United States of America, performs an analysis of load intermeshing conditions of gears. This analysis is performed through an analysis of intermeshing conditions of gears subjected to load made on the basis of data relating to a cutting tool by means of which the gears have been machined.
With the analysis method described in the above mentioned publication, because processes, such as placement of a gear set in a practical condition, coating paint on one of the gear sets, rotating the intermeshed gears, and image-processing, etc., must be conducted before undertaking an analysis of intermeshing conditions of the gear set, a considerable amount of effort and cost is required for the analysis. Moreover, it is difficult to conduct analytical simulations with variations in parameters during designing and trial manufacturing stages of the gear sets.
However, the Gleason Corporation's system is limited in that it does not lend itself to analysis of gears other than theoretical tooth surfaces defined by a mechanical coordinate system based on the setting conditions of a cutting tool by which the gears are machined and produced. Moreover, analysis of tooth surfaces of intermeshed gears can not be made after heat treatment, lapping or polishing and/or assembling, or during reverse rotation of the gears.